Ā鶹Ćā·Ń°ęĻĀŌŲPresentsā 2015-16 season continues with the first ever Boulder performance by Los Angeles-based dance company BODYTRAFFIC. The group is set to present three contemporary pieces inspired by urban life from all around the world on Sunday, Feb. 14.
āI think what makes BODYTRAFFIC stand out is the way [Artistic Directors Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett] choose to work with up-and-coming choreographers from all around the world,ā said company manager Dora Quintanilla. āItās really amazing to see our dancers move so seamlessly from one type of dance, like ballet, to a completely different one, like breakdance.ā
The first piece, created by Barak Marshall, is called āAnd at midnight, the green bride floated through the village squareā¦ā This cinematic, colorful work is inspired by his motherās childhood in pre-war Yemen, where a womanās happiness depended on her eligibility as a bride.
āHer neighbors had nine children who never succeeded in finding love or getting married,ā said Marshall of his piece. āThat lack of hope turns them into this monstrous, fighting family always cursing the hope of others.
āTo me it really illustrates the fact that, if we donāt create a society that has equal opportunity for all, weāre going to perpetuate the constant breaking down of others,ā he added.
Also on the program is āOnce again before you goā by Victor Quijada of the RUBBERBANDance Group. The piece, created for BODYTRAFFIC in 2014, brings together hip hop, breakdance and ballet to examine the way people come and go in each otherās lives.
āPart of Victorās ārubber bandā method of dancing is the idea that the space around you is thick and thereās always a substance that you have to carve through,ā said Quintanilla.
The program concludes with American choreographer Richard Siegalās āO2Joy,ā a playful piece set to the music of American jazz greatsāfrom Billie Holiday and Harry Belafonte to Ella Fitzgerald. Siegal is the founder and artistic director of The Bakery, an organization dedicated to international artistic collaborations.
āAs the title suggests, āO2Joyā is an expression of joy through music and movement,ā said Quintanilla. āItās a very fun work to see and just be around, and weāve embraced it as our signature piece.ā
Founded in 2007, BODYTRAFFIC has surged to the forefront of the concert dance world. Named āthe company of the futureā by The Joyce Theater Foundation, Dance Magazineās 25 to Watch in 2013 and Best of Culture by the Los Angeles Times, the āsuper-fast, super-sexyā (Dance View Times) young company is already internationally recognized for its high quality of work.
Tickets for BODYTRAFFIC start at $15. To purchase tickets, visit the Ā鶹Ćā·Ń°ęĻĀŌŲPresents box office in person (972 Broadway) or call 303-492-8008 during business hours. Tickets are also available on the .
